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Chapter One

Facing the Diagnosis

A cancer diagnosis -- no matter what kind of cancer it is -- makes you feel like you've been left dangling off the cliff of life. Days of testing,bone scans, CT scans, MRIs, x-rays, and blood tests are followed by daysof growing fear while you wait for the final answer. Then, the solemn pronouncementthat you have cancer and with it the feeling that life will neverbe the same again. And not only your life -- but also the lives of everyonearound you.

No one disputes the fact that your life will be changed by your diagnosis.But try not to panic. This is NOT the end of the world. This is not the endof your life. This is the moment when you need to take control and call upyour inner will to live and your determination to learn all you can about whatis happening to you.

There is so much going on in every kind of cancer treatment that youhave every reason to feel positive about the possibility of being cured. Wehave seen dozens of patients who made dramatic recoveries, when ten yearsago they would have had no hope for living another year. We know peoplewho just one year ago would have died were it not for the fact that theyreceived the very newest treatments. We know many who have had chroniccases of cancer, who have been treated, lived a few disease-free years, and thendiscovered that the cancer returned. They have been treated again. They've gone back into patient mode, gone through another round of treatments, andrecovered again. Each time they've survived, they've gained a bit more time totest out newer treatments with fewer side effects and better effectiveness. Thebottom line is: cancer isn't what it used to be.

We are extremely optimistic about the treatments that continue to cometo the marketplace or are on the near horizon. We have researched everyresource to give you as much information as possible on the many differentkinds of treatments available as well as the very newest thinking and experimentsthat are presently being tested.

Cancer is a chronic disease with many possibilities for cure. Positionyourself to take advantage of every possibility for being one of those who iscured. And always remember, people have survived every type of cancer, atevery stage.

What happens now?

This is the moment when you have the greatest number of choices concerningthe kind of treatment best for you and you are faced with making decisionsabout how you will proceed. Each decision may make a criticaldifference in the outcome. The wrong choices close the doors to otheroptions. In order to make informed decisions, you need information, thekind of information that makes it possible for you to seek out the right doctorand hospital as well as sufficient information to make it possible for youto ask the right questions.

You need to put the whole emotional background of having cancerinto perspective before you can deal intelligently with the diagnosis of cancer.For many people, the cancer word -- the big C -- still carries with it theold fears and myths, left over from the days when cancer was incurable.Today, with nearly nine million people alive with a history of cancer, youneed to be aware that in the vast majority of cases, cancer is considered andtreated as a "chronic" illness that can be managed for many years with propertreatment.

Cancer is a major illness but it is not necessarily fatal, contrary towhat many people still believe.

You can have cancer and continue to enjoy life.

There's no question that the diagnosis of cancer is one of the low points inlife. The real news is that many people are being cured. For some types ofcancer, nine out of ten people diagnosed can be considered cured. Manyothers will live a very long time before dying of cancer. There is hope forevery patient. Some are cured at once, by surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.Some are never cured, but their disease is controlled so they can expect to live for many, many years. Admittedly, there are some types of cancerwhere treatments are only able to prolong life for a few months, but thosecases are in the minority.

It is important for you to know at the outset what category your type ofcancer is so that you will not be worrying unnecessarily and so that you willbe dealing with reality when you make decisions about your treatments andhow you will be living your life. Specifically, you need to know the type ofcancer, the stage of the cancer, whether it has spread to any other site, and ifthere are tumor markers that are used to track your cancer. You need fullinformation to make certain that you will be getting the very best possibletreatment for your cancer as well as for your coping style, personality, andliving style.

The best place to begin in collecting information, of course, is with yourdoctor. But, you need to search out further information on your own if youplan to be an involved consumer. Our favorite first information stop is theNational Cancer Institute (NCI), where ongoing research puts cutting-edgeinformation at your fingertips through its Cancer Information Service telephoneline, 1 -800-4-CANCER, and Web site (www.cancer.gov). Our favoritesearch engine is Google, where you can put in a few words and get access to awealth of information. If you are looking for community-oriented information,try the American Cancer Society, 1-800-ACS-2345, and its Web site(www.cancer.org). See Chapter 2, Searching for Answers on the Web, as wellas information at the end of each chapter on specific cancers for additionalInternet sources ...

This book is designed to give information for your personal knowledge onvarious treatments and procedures relating to cancer and to help you be amore informed about such matters. It is not intended to be complete orexhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your physician. The desig-nations that treatments are standard or under clinical evaluation are not to be used as a basis for reimbursement determinations.

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Excerpted from Choices by Marion Morra, Eve Potts
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.